16J 



CINNYEIS BEIZOPHOBJL 



(HAINAN YELLOW-BREASTED SUN-BIRD.) 



ArachnecMhra rhizophorce, Swinhoe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. iv. p. 436 (1869) ; 

 Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 25; Swinhoe, torn. cit. p. 237; id. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 349. 



6 ad. similis C. flammaxillari, sed fronte chalybea, distinguendus : pectore pallidissime flavo : torque pectorali 

 duplici rubro et nigro. 



2 ad. similis mari adulto, sed colore metallico, fasciis pectoralibus et torque pectorali absentibus. 



cT jun. similis feminse adultse, sed gutture metallico. 



Hab. in insula " Hainan " dicta. 



Adult Male. Upper parts brown, sbaded with obve, most strongly so on the lower back ; forehead violet, 

 shaded with steel-blue; wings dark brown, with the edges of the feathers paler, and shaded with olive 

 on the secondaries ; tail brownish black, with the three outer feathers on each side tipped with white, 

 increasing in extent towards the outer ones, of which nearly the terminal half is white ; uuderparts 

 yellow, shaded cream-colour ; chin and throat deep violet-bronze, entirely surrounded by an edging of 

 steel-blue, shot with green ; pectoral tufts deep yellow, tinted with orange, and between them a pectoral 

 band of maroon-red, at the base of the metallic plastron, followed by a broader one of black ; under 

 wing-coverts and the inner margins of the quills white, the former shaded with yellow ; bill black ; 

 hides dark brown; legs deep leaden-grey. Total length 4 inches, culmen - 65, wing 2'1, tail 1*4, 

 tarsus 055. 



Adidt Female. Similar in plumage to the adult male, but without any metallic plumes ; it has an obscure 

 pale yellow eyebrow ; forehead similar in colour to the back ; chin, throat, and pectoral tufts uniform 

 pale yellow ; flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts almost white. 



Young Male. Similar in plumage to the adult female, but with the metallic colours beginning to appear 

 down the centre of the throat. 



Hab. Hainan. 



The Yellow-breasted Sun-bird of Hainan is distinguished by its metallic violet forehead, its broad 

 non-metallic pectoral band, and pale yellow breast. 



It is confined to the island of Hainan and West Island, where Mr. Swinhoe found it to be 

 common both among the mountains and in the marshes along the coast. In his article in ' The 

 Ibis' (1870, p. 238), after giving a good description of the plumage, and pointing out its special 

 characters, he observes : — " About the capital city in the north-west I did not meet with this 

 lively little bird ; nor on my journey into the interior did I see it, until I got to Shuy-wei-sze, 

 where it was quite a common species among the trees round villages. Its call-note somewhat 

 recalled to mind the ' toweet ' of Beguloides superciliosus, but is louder and sharper. As it hovers 



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